“Self love” is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days. I think we can all agree when I say that it’s one of those ideas that’s so easy to grasp, but then proves to be much more difficult to truly apply in our lives—am I right, ladies?
As much as we hate to admit it, loving the skin we’re in can be an everyday struggle. Just by going through social media and seeing the definition of what having a “perfect body” looks like makes us dive deeper into this pit of feeling that we’re not good enough. But you know what? We actually are. It’s just a matter of truly believing in it.
So I have both good and some not-so-good news for you. Good news is, loving your body is possible. The not-so-good news is that it’s a process. But before you get all down about it, you should know that all this process needs from you is to take the first step! It’s time we commit to genuinely loving our bodies with these four steps to help you get started on your journey.
Love Your Body Tip 1 - Work Out With A Friend
No (wo)man is an island. We all need a solid support system to rely on, especially if we’re about to set on a task or project that seems overwhelming and daunting at the same time—like working out, for example.
It’s true that you can pretty much work out on your own—but then, where’s the fun in that? Having your friend by your side makes it all the more exciting and motivating. Not to mention, you’ll have yourself an accountability buddy to make sure that you stay committed all the way through.
Sometimes, having a friend (or friends) by our side during workouts gives us the boost we need to get going and stay on track. We all could use personal cheerleaders who would push and motivate us, as we work our butts off to loving our healthier body!
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@TheMiddlePageBlog
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Love Your Body Tip 2 - Don't Worry About Fad Diets, Find What Works Best For You
A huge chunk of practicing self-love isn’t just what we project to the world, but also what we take into our bodies as well. Regularly working out is one thing but you should also pay attention to eating healthier to feel healthier!
There are tons of fad diets out there that people are quickly jumping into. But be reminded that they’re called “fads” for a reason. And just because your peers are doing and swearing by them, doesn’t mean you have to as well. The key is finding which one works best for you, whether it’s a trendy diet or simply practicing eating in moderation.
Don’t be pressured into doing these crazy diets if it doesn’t feel right for you. The best way to go about it is to approach a nutritionist or perhaps try to better understand your body by tracking what you eat, and assessing what you need to cut out (or eat more of) to get on a cleaner eating track.
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Love Your Body Tip 3 - Stay Positive
Sure, an effective way of knowing how to love yourself relies on how you treat your body physically. But did you know that it’s actually more of training your mindset? One tried and tested self-love technique is staying positive, or at least trying to.
Day in and day out, we’re bombarded with so much negativity happening in the world around us. Add that to the negativity and disdain we feel on the inside, and we’re pretty much left feeling hopeless. The thing is, we can’t just wait on positivity to come knock on our door. It’s something we have to learn to achieve starting with how we feel inside, our perspective on things, and what we put out to the world.
Staying positive sounds easy enough but it can be difficult to do. The trick is to take baby steps and consider it as small victories on your part! It can be as simple as smiling the moment you wake up, thinking and writing down things you’re grateful for, looking for every good thing for every bad thing you encounter, as well as reinforcing activities that give you happy highs such as petting a dog, giving way on the road, hugging your loved one, and so on. Keep at it for as long as you can and you’ll be surprised how it can transform not just the way you see the world, but also yourself.
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Love Your Body Tip 4 - Be Confident In Who YOU Are
Now that we’re feeling all positive from the inside out, it’s time we finally work on building our self confidence, self love, self appreciation, self worth, self esteem… and well, you get the idea.
What makes you, YOU, is something special and something that others don’t have. Instead of seeing yourself as lacking in some areas, start to identify what you think makes you unique and special and focus on that. Sure, you may not have those long, skinny legs that you see on models in magazines but maybe you have strong and sturdy ones that take you where you need to go or even help you run that marathon! You may not have that perfectly proportioned face but you have such a beautiful smile that lights up the whole room!
Being confident is like lighting the fire inside you, which then sets you aglow for the world to see. It’s taking back your power and conquering all the negativity and self-doubt that you once let consume you. And once you’ve harnessed that power, the negativity of the world doesn’t stand a chance with your light.
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Understand that the road to fully loving your body and the skin you’re in is a continuous process, one that you have to really choose to commit to every single day.
You can start with any—or all—of these tips but what it’s really about is arming yourself with the knowledge that you are more than enough, and soon, you will feel and embody it. Best of all, you may even serve as inspiration to others who have been feeling the same way you did. Seeing you comfortable and confident with your body is more than enough motivation for them to start loving theirs as well—and believe me when I say that the reward of knowing you’ve inspired others to live and feel better about themselves is far greater than any material possession.
I always love hearing from you so please feel free to leave your comments or feedback below. And, if you have any friends that might find this advice helpful, please be sure to post, tweet or pin using our easy share buttons ;)
Tomorrow marks the start of yet another new month and we are dubbing March the month of color to get our hearts and wardrobes ready for spring! We'll start next week by giving you a quick overview on the color trends to keep on your radar so you can quickly pick and choose where to invest your closet spending. See you then!!